How to Overcome Homesickness on Your Travels

Reduce that gut wrenching feeling of unfamiliar surroundings and miss home less with these travel tips.

Your holiday abroad normally starts on a high with lots of excitement, but when things start to settle in, homesickness can start to creep up on you which leaves a heavy feeling in your chest as you begin to miss those home comforts that are oceans away. Whether it’s the familiarity of your parents hug or even your partner’s snoring, you miss it and become uncomfortable in your new surroundings.

When you feel home sick, you’re not sure where your heart is at. It’s not easy adjusting to a new environment. Remember though, it’s completely normal to feel a certain degree of home sickness. We’ve all had it at some point or another. It can ruin a trip though, so it’s important to make sure that you don’t get caught up in it too much. Try the below tips to prevent, overcome or at least reduce those unwanted feelings on your travels.

Positive Thinking
This one is a given really and it’s easier said than done, but positive thinking really does have an impact on your mood. Remember why you are at the destination. Remind yourself how excited you have been for it. Whether it’s a long weekend break, a week away or even a month, it will go by so quickly, and you will miss it when it’s over. So just live in the moment, take a step back to reflect and enjoy your new surroundings. Think about how many are jealous of you! You could even create a list of reasons why it’s better being there than being at home. 

Bring Some Home Comforts
It’s often the little things that we miss the most when away. The taste of your PG tips cuppa, the warmth of your blanket or the presence of a familiar item, such as a photo frame. It’s important to bring some of these along if you frequently suffer with homesickness; they will make you feel at ease and remind you of home. You could bring a few small comfort items and spread them around your room, like your usual slippers and mug. Even a sentimental piece of jewellery or favourite piece of clothing will help you feel as if a part of home has travelled with you.

Unplug From Social Media
Staying connected via social media on the short term might aid your homesickness, but you might feel yourself becoming succumbed to it and relying on your phone to make you feel comfortable. Why not completely remove yourself from your social media websites? Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing - focus on your trip. Chances are your travel companion is someone who brings you comfort, and if not, it’s a great time to build that bond with them. If you’re travelling alone, then what better time to get to know yourself a bit more?

Call Home Once a Day
This slightly contradicts the unplug scenario, but a call home a day won’t harm anyone – in-fact it may give you the comfort you need and get you through the day without feeling homesick. Hearing a familiar voice will seem like they are there with you. Keeping in touch with loved ones is so much easier nowadays aswell with technology developments. You could even video call those closest to you and show off your holiday to make them jealous. Finally, talking about your homesickness takes a great deal of the stress away, so why not tell someone about how you are feeling and get some reassurance.

Make Effort With Strangers
Chances are, wherever you visit on your travels, there’s going to be other people around the world who are in the same place, for the same reason. So why not go out on a limb, make the effort and get talking to some other holidaymakers? You never know, you could make friends for life, and a holiday becomes more exciting when you build a friendship. If you’re reserved, then at least try to put yourself out there. Smile at people, make eye contact and get involved with activities. Sometimes you don’t even need to make the effort and these things happen naturally, which will make your homesickness fade away in no time.

Familiarise Yourself With the Surroundings
When you’re feeling homesick, you miss the routine you’re normally part of that is so familiar in your regular life. But who’s to say you can’t form a new routine? You could perhaps take a jog or bike around some local areas at the same time every day and see new things. Familiarize yourself with these new surroundings and it won’t seem foreign for long. Other ways of forming routines include getting up at the same time for breakfast every day and enjoying a coffee before sunset every day – it all helps to create familiarity and therefore helps overcome homesickness.

Go Shopping
I myself have felt great degrees of homesickness. The worst was when I was in Chicago, half way around the world. What made me feel better? Shopping. There is nothing better than a classic case of retail therapy. I remember going to some premium outlets for the day and treated myself to some bargains. It was amazing, and I felt good buying some souvenirs for loved ones. It really brightened my spirits and boosted my mood after having felt homesickness and unfamiliarity, and was a very effective coping mechanism. I’m not sure whether it’s because I was distracted from my feelings, but there definitely is truth behind the ‘therapy’ in retail.
 
Do Things That You Enjoy - Self-Care!
Self-care is very important, especially when you’re away and you’re vulnerable to all sorts of emotions. You’re on holiday. This is the perfect chance to do whatever you enjoy doing in your free time. A time to focus on yourself. Treat yourself to your favourite hobby out there, whether it’s exercising at the gym, taking a nice long bath, buying chocolate or simply sunbathing, make sure you do a lot of it. It might also be worth making a bucket list of things you want to do and see on your trip, and go out of your way to tick it all off.

Remember, home is going to be amazing when you get back, so explore to your heart’s content, make new friends, immerse yourself in the new country that you’re in and totally make the most of it. Embrace the uncomforting feelings - you’ll come back a changed person.

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